Bon Iver, 'For Emma, Forever Ago' (Jagjaguwar)
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon spent last winter holed up in rural Wisconsin with his guitars, some recording equipment, and a broken heart. When the snow melted, he returned with ten sparse, searching songs that gorgeously evoke the desolate beauty of those surroundings.
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Black Tide, 'Light From Above' (Interscope)
With an average age of 17 -- the youngest member is a 15-year-old with Sebastian Bach
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Vampire Weekend: The Graduates
When Ezra Koenig was a sophomore at Columbia University, his main extracurricular activity was his (white) rap duo, L'Homme Run. They composed and performed verbally dexterous songs with titles like "Pizza Party" and "Interracial Dating" (which reflected on finding long black hairs in the shower), and co-opted the Lacoste alligator as their official mascot.
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The Inquisition: Moby
Not since the early '90s has anyone been as enthusiastic about New York City nightlife as Moby seems to be. Perched on the edge of the couch in his surprisingly small SoHo apartment, the 42-year-old techno-vegan eagerly admits what few other rave veterans would: Last Night, his new album, could very well have been recorded during the Clinton presidency.
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Boarding Gate
Combining elements of a D-grade erotic thriller and a deconstructed international thriller, Boarding Gate proves duly snazzy and sleazy -- kinda skanky in a highfalutin' way.
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Paranoid Park
The action -- if action isn't too strong in the context of Gus Van Sant's latest downbeat meditation -- partly unfolds at a skate park in Portland, Oregon.




